Diving

by

Gerry Stewart

The drowsy murmur of my heartbeat 

has hidden its head beneath wing, 

snuggling down into warmth. 

Night bends down like a sap-green willow, 

dipping its branches into the water darkness 

lapping the room’s corners.

Sleep-brushed blue thistles settle under my eyes. 

Mesmerised by sirens 

combing the silence with song, 

I submerge my sand-bagged limbs. 

Hours scuttle under chairs, 

whispering fish secrets.

Morning hovers flavoured 

with sea-salt and bitter chicory.

I ignore the distant shrieking 

of alarmed seagulls. 

My ballast gathered, 

I slip deeper beneath the currents.

Gerry Stewart is a poet, creative writing tutor and editor based in Finland. Her poetry collection Post-Holiday Blues was published by Flambard Press, UK. Totems is to be published by Hedgehog Poetry Press in 2021. Her writing blog can be found at http://thistlewren.blogspot.fi/ and @grimalkingerry on Twitter.